United Nations, September 19, 2017- Today, during his first speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald J. Trump hailed U.S. leadership in humanitarian assistance and investments in the fight to end malaria. “The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance,” said President Trump. “We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and the Global Health Security Agenda.”

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), is one of the most effective investments the U.S. has made in global health and foreign assistance. In 2005, when President George W. Bush created PMI and the U.S. Congress began committing substantial funding to fight malaria, nearly 1 million children and pregnant women were dying from malaria each year. By 2015, malaria deaths of young children were cut by more than half.

“By singling out PMI in front of the UN General Assembly today, it’s clear that President Trump, like President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, fully understands the impact PMI has had and the critical role U.S. leadership plays in ending malaria,” said Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More.

Since its inception, investments made by PMI across the globe have directly saved the lives of 1.7 million children, have overall contributed to saving nearly 7 million lives, increased economic prosperity in countries where malaria exists, and has put the world on the path to eliminating this deadly but preventable disease within our lifetimes.

Despite this tremendous success, malaria still kills a child every two minutes and threatens nearly half the world’s population. Sustaining U.S. commitment and investments in malaria will advance American leadership in the world, bolster health security, and save the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

“As the General Assembly did today, Malaria No More applauds President Trump for keeping malaria high on the U.S. and global agendas,” said Edlund. “We look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to ensure that U.S. investments in malaria are complemented by increased domestic investments made by malaria endemic countries so that we can build on successes to date and stay on track to reach elimination targets”